By Justin Worsley,
After failed attempts at getting Jim Harbaugh and Les Miles to take over the Michigan football program, the Wolverines finally found their Michigan man.
The university announced on Tuesday that San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke will take over a program that went 15-23 in the past three seasons under Rich Rodriguez's command.
Hoke, who served as the program's defensive line coach between 1995 and 2002, was also the head coach at Ball State. In 2008, Hoke's last season as the Cardinals head coach, the team started off 12-0 before losing both the MAC Championship and the GMAC Bowl. When Hoke first entered the program in 2003, Ball State had not had a winning season since 1996.
San Diego State was 2-10 in 2008 before Hoke took over. The Aztecs went 9-4 and won their first bowl game since 1969.
Once a powerhouse program, Michigan has fallen on hard times. The Wolverines began the 2007 ranked second in the nation, but fell to FCS foe Appalachian State in the season opener and found themselves struggling to return to the Top 25.
Last season's 7-6 campaign was the only winning year under Rodriguez.
Michigan brass targeted Harbaugh immediately after firing Rodriguez. Harbaugh, a former Wolverines quarterback, helped Stanford win 12 games this year, a school record.
The attraction of the NFL was just too much for Harbaigh, however, and he eventually took the head coaching job at San Francisco.
Miles, the current LSU coach, is not only a former Michigan athlete, but an offensive line coach as well. Miles, however, decided to remain with the Tigers after meeting with Michigan Monday night. Miles won the National Championship with LSU in 2007.
Hoke, 52, is 47-50 in his career including 1-1 in bowl games.
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